Chad Pennington

Dr. Giganto

The big deal in New York the last two weeks has been Chad Pennington

He had probably the worst game of his career two weeks ago in Piitsburgh (the best team in the NFL), and the New York media went nuts saying that Pennington cant win the big game, shit like that

Then, on Sunday he played great and led the Jets to an easy win over Seattle. After the game he made a statement in frontof the press then refused to answer any questions

Yesterday, he explained himself. His main points went as follows:

*His job is to play quarterback for the New York Jets. The reporters job is to cover the New York Jets.
*Just as it is an honor and privelege to play for the Jets, it is a privelege, not a right, for the media to cover the Jets.
*The reporters and players have a symbiotic relationship. The reporters need to respect the players so that they can get their stories/quotes, etc., while the players also need the reporters to get their name out there, and draw the fans to them, etc.
*He has always been fair and resepctful to the media, and he expects the same treatment back
*he felt that the criticism he received after the Steelers game was neither fair nor respectful

Then, this morning I was reading the New York Post (which is only slightly more reputable than the National Enquirer) and one of their scumbag reporters said that it is not a privelege for him to cover the Jets, it is a privelege for Pennington to be interviewed by him!!!! are you fucking kidding me???? If I were the Jets, I would ban all players from talking to the Post. If they are going to disrespect their star QB like that, they deserve to tget the cold shoulder from the Jets organization

He then went on to say that if he wants the media to respect him, there's only one thing he can do, and thats beat the Patriots this weekend. Nevermind that the Jets are 10-4 and headed to the playoffs. If they dont beat the Patriots on Sunday, Pennington is a failure. So, basically, Chad's entire career comes down to one game, according to this piece of shit.

God, I hate sportswriters sometimes

Profit

While I agree with the whole "it's an honor to be interviewed" as complete bullshit ... the fact of the matter is that the Jets have had a soft schedule, and still have to prove themselves. If they can't beat New England, what's the point of such a great season? They're going to face NE in the playoffs to get out of the East, and they're going to lose, unless Pennington can lead them. Miami showed the soft side of NE, and if the Jets want to be taken seriously, they need to go for the jugular on a team that just lost a huge potential trap game.

Dr. Giganto

I agree with you on all but one point, that being that the Patriots are more vulnerable now than they were against Miami (though you didnt say that outright, thats what i took from your last sentence)

If anything, the Patriots could be MORE motivated now, especially since San Diego is only one game behind the Pats for the second seed in the AFC

Also, what happens if Pennington plays well against New England but the Jets still lose? What if Pennington throws for 300 yards, 4 TDs, and 0 INTS but the defense suffers a let-down? Do we still pin the blame on Pennington because hes the "leader" of the team

Basically, every team in the NFL should go into every game thinking "we're just as good as these guys, if not better". But deep down inside, everybody knows that there's a well-defined hierarchy in the NFL. The Eagles, Patriots, and Steelers are the elite teams, and teams like the Jets, Colts, Chargers, and Falcons are the second tier. I feel that there's no shame in losing to the Patriots.

Yes, the Jets have had a soft schedule, but at least they made the most of it, unlike many other teams in the NFL, specifically the NFC. Basically, they beat the teams that they're supposed to beat. Their losses have come at the 13-1 Steelers, at the 12-2 Patriots, 8-6 Ravens (I dont remember if this game was home or away), and at the 8-6 Bills. I would much rather lose to the Patriots, or on the road against the Steelers, than lose to the Dolphins

Profit

You basically crystallized the point I was trying to make - the Jets are good, not great. If you want greatness, you have to take it, and your QB is the one that will lead your team to it. If the rest of the team fails, that's fine, but the QB will be the one that leads them. If Pennington and the Jets want to be taken as anything outside of a team that wins the games it's supposed to win, they have to beat the defending champions. Losing to NE, Balt and Pitt is indicative of their whole season - these are the teams they'll face, and probably lose to, in the playoffs. I'm not impressed with them at all, and neither is the rest of the NFL.

As for the Pats - you basically took the Daily Quickie on ESPN and posted it. Heh.

Dr. Giganto

Same here

haha. i read the quickie about a half hour before i made that post, so it was probably still fresh in my mind

Dr. Giganto

As an aside, while watching the Jets-Steelers game, me and one of my friends were talking about how the Jets probably havew the most predictable passing offense in the NFL. They basically have three plays that they run over and over

1. A pass in the flat to FB Gerald Sowell
2. An out-route by TE Chris Baker (NYC native, by the way)
3. A deep fly to Santana Moss

The one thing that does impress me is their offensive line, especially in the running game.

Freak

When I think of the Jets offense, all I can think of is that playaction bootleg to Becht (or whoever is playing TE) at the goalline that killed the Packers like three times, two years ago.

Dr. Giganto

Hey Profit, looks like the Jets proved us right yesterday

I know Jets fans are going to be up in arms about this, but they got beat by a team thats just better than them. If they lose to St Louis next week, theres a chance they could miss the playoffs after starting 5-0. Denver and Buffalo are both one game back, and i think they both have tiebreakers over the Jets. Buffalo plays Pittsburgh and Denver plays Indy. the steelers and Colts have nothing to play for, besides tuning up for the playoffs. Should be interesting to see how it unfolds next week

Profit

1. The Jets will make the playoffs
2. The Jets will lose handily in the first round